Light of Asia
Based on Edwin Arnold's poem, “The Light of Asia,” this extraordinary silent handles a rather austere religious tale with moving grace, and balances its mythological subject matter with realistic glimpses of the contemporary (1925) Indian landscape and people. The opening shots accompany a group of European tourists as they wind their way through the bazaars and other exotica of the streets of Bombay City. They happen on a bearded old man who begins to recount a tale, told in flashback, of the young Prince Gautama, and how he came to be called Lord Buddha, the Enlightened One, after leaving his wealthy home and beautiful wife on a mission to seek a Truth suggested to him by the faces of poverty.
The three Indian silents of German director Franz Osten - Light of Asia, Shiraz and A Throw of Dice (see November 24) - were all based on historical or mythological themes, encouraged by the success of the early films of D.G. Phalke. Fueled by the ingenuity of Himansu Rai, who ventured into international co-productions with the leading companies of Europe, the films were shot in India and feature an Indian cast (Rai himself stars in all three). (An exception was Sita Devi, who plays Prince Gautama's wife, actually an Anglo-Indian woman named Renee Smith; many Indian women refused to participate in films in the '20s.) (JB)